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Robert Cantu, MD highlights list of nationally know speakers who will be speaking in Plainsboro, New Jersey on July 17, 2011. The program will highlight the latest research and all the speakers will be available to answer questions during a roundtable discussion segment.

The fall sports season begins next month in New Jersey and with it marks the first year of the newly adopted New Jersey Department of Education concussion policy recommendations. The proper identification and management of sports concussions is crucial when trying to prevent the very serious and potentially catastrophic Second Impact Syndrome, a dangerous condition that can occur if an athlete returns to sports before full recovery.

The Athletic Trainers’ Society of New Jersey (ATSNJ) is one of the driving educational forces for sports concussion management in New Jersey. Robert Cantu, MD, a preeminent sports concussion researcher and expert, who has served as a consultant to many scholastic and professional athletes on the return to collision sports after a head injury, will discuss his research on concussions as part of a roundtable discussion on the topic. In addition to Dr. Cantu, the ATSNJ has assembled a group of nationally and regionally known medical experts in concussion management to address sports-related concussions — from the initial identification of a concussion to return-to-play guidelines.

Reporters are invited to attend the roundtable discussion and ask questions to the panel of experts.

Every year, thousands of student athletes sustain concussions that may cause permanent brain damage. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention an estimated 1.6 to 3.8 million sports and recreation related concussions occur in the United States each year. Concussions occur even if an athlete doesn’t lose consciousness and in fact, is the most common type of brain injury sustained in sports.

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC TRAINERS’ SOCIETY OF NEW JERSEY

ATSNJ, Inc. consists of Licensed Athletic Trainers, physicians and other allied health care professionals whose goal is to promote quality healthcare for athletes in any setting. For more information, visit the ATSNJ online at atsnj.org.